


christmas cookies

by aerynlallaboso



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/F, Fluff, the world needs more sakuhina and i am trying to do my part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 16:03:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2156664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerynlallaboso/pseuds/aerynlallaboso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Using an electric mixer, beat butter and icing sugar mixture in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add honey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	christmas cookies

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted 9/8/14 @ tumblr for the naruto summer xmas meme

_~Honey and cinnamon Christmas trees~_

**200g of butter, at room temperature  
** 1/2 cup icing sugar mixture  
1/3 cup of honey  
2 cups plain flour, sifted  
1/4 cup self-raising flour, sifted  
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon  
2 tablespoons milk 

**2 eggwhites, lightly whisked  
** 3 1/4 cups pure icing sugar  
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice  
1/2 cup dessicated coconut 

"But we’re using double mix, to make enough for everyone," Hinata says, smiling. She retrieves a pen from a pot on the windowsill and notes down the revised figures neatly beside each ingredient. Sakura watches admiringly. "Your handwriting is so much nicer than mine."

Hinata turns a bit pink. “Thank you,” she says. “Now-“

**1\. Line two baking trays with baking paper.**

"Hinata?" Sakura calls. She bangs one cupboard door shut and opens another. "Where do you keep the baking paper?"

Hinata looks up from reading the recipe to motion to the bench right in front of her.

"Oh, ah. Sorry."

**Using an electric mixer, beat butter and icing sugar mixture in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add honey.**

The beating is easily achieved, but the honey is a bit of a problem. “It won’t come out,” Hinata says, tapping the bottom of the jar tentatively. The honey refuses to budge. Her mouth twists worriedly. “I… I think Shino left it in the fridge after he came over yesterday.”

Sakura decides not to question Shino’s eating habits. “Here,” she says. “Let me take a crack at it.”

"Be careful, Sakura," Hinata cautions as she takes the jar and starts to shake it vigorously over the cup. "You’re really strong, you might-"

The jar breaks.

"Oops," Sakura says sheepishly.

**Beat until well combined.**

**2\. Place flours, cinnamon and milk in a bowl. Add butter mixture. Mix until dough begins to form. Turn onto a well floured surface. Knead gently until smooth.**

Sakura is still sucking honey off her fingers, so Hinata covers the bench with flour herself, being careful not to get any on the floor. Kneading dough is somewhat comforting - just the repetitive motions of rolling and pressing the mixture and the soft feel of it under her palms.

"You’re really good at this," Sakura observes.

Hinata brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, wondering if she should retie her bun. Getting hair in the christmas cookies would be very embarrassing. “Thank you,” she says. “I like baking.” It looks like Sakura has finished cleaning herself up, so she adds, “Do you want to try kneading?”

Sakura grins and rolls up her sleeves. “Sure!”

They knead in silence for a minute or two before Hinata looks over to see how Sakura’s doing. Her dough’s good, her technique is aggressive but seems to be working, her arm muscles are…

"Everything okay?"

"Y-yes," Hinata says, blushing just a little and turning back to her own dough.

**Divide dough in half and wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes.**

**3\. Preheat oven to 160C. Using a well floured rolling pin, roll one portion of dough out on a well floured surface until 5mm thick.**

"Hinata?"

"Yes?"

Sakura holds up her rolling pin with a worried expression. “Why does this have bite marks on it?”

"Oh… oh, Akamaru was playing with it the other day."

"Is it still okay to use?"

"Of course," Hinata assures her. "Kiba told me a dog’s mouth is actually cleaner than a human’s. He shares food with Akamaru all the time."

Again, Sakura chooses not to inquire further about Hinata’s teammates’ eating habits. “But… you washed it, right?”

"Yes."

"Good."

**4\. Using an 8.5cm Christmas tree cutter, cut out biscuits.**

After double-checking that Hinata’s tree biscuit cutter is 8.5cm, and subsequently deciding that it doesn’t actually matter, it takes them twenty minutes or so to cut out biscuits from all the rolled dough they have. Neither of them eat any of it. Honest.

**Place on prepared trays. Bake, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp and golden.**

"Do you think that they look golden enough?" Sakura asks, peering into the oven through its small window. "They look golden to me."

Hinata joins her at the oven window, inspecting the biscuits with a practiced eye, and nods. “Yes, they’re ready.” She holds up her oven-mittened hands. “I’ll get them out.”

Sakura raises her own hands and moves away from the door so that Hinata can open it. She pulls the tray out carefully, but one of the mittens slips as she turns and sets it down on the bench, and the hot metal makes contact with Hinata’s hand. She lets out a tiny noise of pain. Sakura notices, rushing over to look at it.

"I’m okay," Hinata says, but Sakura’s already healing the burn with a green glow from her fingers. "Y-you don’t need to…"

"There," Sakura says, clasping Hinata’s hand in her own and smiling. "It doesn’t hurt now, right?"

It doesn’t, but her face is burning a bit. “We should put the next batch in.”

**Cool on tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.**

**5\. Make glace icing: Using a wooden spoon, lightly beat egg whites. Sift icing sugar over egg white. Stir until smooth. Add lemon juice and stir until well combined.**

Hinata prepared the icing earlier by herself, so all they need to do is thaw it while the last of the biscuits finish cooking. By the time they’re all done, the bench is covered with small golden trees spread out over wire racks, and the kitchen smells wonderfully of cinnamon. The only thing left to do now is-

**6\. Spread biscuits with icing, leaving a 2mm border. Sprinkle with coconut. Set aside for 1 hour to set. Serve or gift wrap.**

"Ready?"

"Mmhmm."

They take a bite out of their cookies at the same time, munching contemplatively.

"They’re really good," Sakura says happily. She bites off another piece of tree and nudges Hinata. "We make a good team, huh?"

"Mmhmm," Hinata says again, through a mouthful of biscuit crumbs.

Sakura finishes the cookie in a couple more bites, smiling and nodding thoughtfully. “Yeah, you can really taste the honey. They’re really sweet.” She hesitates for a moment with a funny look on her face before adding, “Like you.”

Hinata blushes. Not a little, not a bit, the whole red-faced way.

"B-but anyway," Sakura continues, a little flushed herself, "We have to put all of these in baskets, right? so we can give them to everyone."

"Yes," Hinata manages. "Are you-"

Sakura nods, rubs her hands together. “Then we should get started.”

**Author's Note:**

> the recipe this fic is written around can be found [here](http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/20018/honey+and+cinnamon+christmas+trees)! i've not tried them myself but i'm sure they're plenty sweet :)


End file.
